Implications
by Batty Musings
Summary: FFX Crossover. When Dick finally laid eyes on the woman he'd spent the last couple of months tracking in the forests of Besaid Island, all his carefully laid plans quickly fell apart as he finally understood why his friend, the near eternally hasted Wally, would make such a complete fool of himself over certain members of the female population. Apparently, love did that to people.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Prompt is Nice View for Traught Takeover over on Tumblr. Also a crossover with FFX.

* * *

**Implications**

**Part I**

The moon hung lazily in the clear sky, casting a pale light over the island. It reflected sharply in the deep crystal waters of the beach, and if you were to blink just so, it would seem as if there was no liquid at all, simply an endless reflection of the sky, flawless and smooth. If you were to not blink at all, then you may even have trouble telling whether or not the water was echoing the sky or the sky was simply being capricious and doing the same to the water.

Either way, there was no denying the sight was beautiful, a single serene moment in a world of Sin. A man standing a little back in the forest drank it all in with the fervor of one who knew its rarity, pausing for a moment in his search. With a breath, he closed his eyes and felt like he could almost feel the ambience pressing against his skin, begging him to relax and join it in this singular moment.

Dick brushed the intoxicating allure away slowly, and his eyelids fluttered open as it dissipated with a sigh. He could sit here and watch the bask in the sights of Besaid Island any time he wanted to, his real goal was a little more fleeting. Bringing his bright blue eyes down to watch the beach in front of him, he sat hidden in the foliage and waited for the girl.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long; which was only to be expected. He'd timed this down to the second. The first sign of her appearance was a break in the perfect reflection of the water, a white trail of bubbles that signaled her swimming towards the empty beach. As expected, she veered just before reaching the open expanse of sand that led up to the village ahead, instead choosing to break out of the water at a hidden alcove a few feet past it.

Coincidentally, the same place where he lay in wait, camouflaged in the thick green trees just above it. Even though Dick knew she couldn't see him from here—he'd planned this _very_ carefully—he still couldn't resist the instinct to freeze up as she came closer and dragged herself out of the water. She coughed thickly, spitting out ocean water as crawled forward.

He noted that quickly; she obviously wasn't a blitzball player, or even that good a swimmer if she managed to suck in some water while swimming. Which then raised the question—why did she keep doing it to come here?

Question upon question piled in his mind, but Dick assuaged them with the knowledge that he'd get his long alluded answers soon enough.

In fact, right about now.

With only the faintest rustle of leaves, he jumped down to finally greet the mysterious woman.

He landed with a thump on the soft sand, and had only to raise his head to see an arrow pointed between his eyes.

Grinning in a way that came in stark juxtaposition to the situation, Dick remarked cheekily, "Wow, how random is it that you're on this part of the beach? _What_ a coincidence."

A soft growl came from her direction, but heedless of the warning, he went on, "That's an Ultimus Bow, ain't it? Those are pretty rare. Have to applaud you on that find."

She was sopping wet, from her the top of her hood to the ends of her, notably bare, feet. He admitted that it was certainly a point in her favor that she could still manage to look that intimidating while shaking like baby Garuda that fell from the nest. He gave her another point on managing to still her hood completely in place.

Damn, he'd planned for it to have slipped a little when she'd readied her bow. He guessed he'd just have to figure out another way to get a closer look at her.

Gaze falling on the terrifyingly sharp tip of the arrow aimed at his head, Dick resolved next time to do it in a fashion less threatening to his person. After a few moments, he realized that she wasn't going to speak anytime soon and he chose to sigh theatrically. "This would really go much easier if you would volunteer something about yourself…."

He trailed off suggestively, waiting for her to at least supply him with a name. She simply snorted and pulled the arrow even further back. Dick frowned. She was much more stubborn than he'd planned.

Fear started to thrum a steady beat in his veins, and he decided to speed this up a little. "Look, I know you're not going to kill me, that'd mean too many questions, questions mean a search, a search means they find your little hideout in the woods, and, well," he grimaced, "_That_ means very, very bad things. I got it, alright? I'm not going to say anything; I was just hoping we could talk."

"I could make it look like an accident. People drown here all the time," she said finally, her voice a low rasp that sent a shiver shooting down his spine. Despite the words, Dick found himself grinning.

"Then why haven't you done it already?" He could actually feel her seethe as he pointed this out, and he wondered in the back of his mind whether or not she'd actually rise to the bait. All predications and previous calculations pointed strictly to the negatory, and he was pleased when they proved correct.

Lowering her bow, she quickly stepped back a few steps. Recognizing the movement, he sighed and chastised, "I already said I'm not here to hurt you, and I certainly don't have a knife to pull on you. Seriously, what do you think I am?"

Her voice came out as a low hiss, sharp as the edge of a dagger. "A damn liar. I can _see_ the scabbard by your belt, you know."

In a smooth movement, he pulled it out and held it in front of him. Trying not to take her flinch as a complete insult, Dick rolled his eyes and let her gaze fall on the empty scabbard. "I told you, I didn't come here to kill you, and it'd be really rude if you tried to kill me after what I've done—"

She scoffed, "What have you done?"

Her standoffish attitude finally wringing on his last nerve, Dick coolly explained, "You haven't been all that discrete. I told the village that I was the one hunting in the forest and trampling around all over the place. Also that it was my fault an entire basket of fruit had disappeared from the larder."

He shrugged. "Told 'em my friend, Wally, had gone sleep eating again."

She didn't answer for a moment, and just when Dick had started to think this entire thing had been in vain, she said in a voice a little above a whisper, "You actually did that?"

"You mean cover up for you?" He crossed his arms. "Or leave the larder door open?"

She fell silent again, and Dick had the distinct feeling that he was being examined, thoroughly searched for any trace of falsehood that could indicate he was stringing her along. He stood tall and waited it out, finally letting out a relieved breath when she wordlessly slung her bow back over her shoulder. She wouldn't be attacking him again; at least he could be thankful of that.

"What do you want?" Her voice rang out clear in the space between them.

_Oh, come on._ Dick groaned in exasperation. "Do we really have to have this conversation now? Can't we just get to know each other a little better?"

Faltering, she stammered, "W-what?"

"I mean, I sort of want to know who you even are before we get to such extensional questions like what I want or how I figured out you'd be here or why I've been tracking you for the last couple months," he elaborated, pretending to be oblivious to the way she gasped. Crossing his arms, Dick suggested, "In fact, how about we start with you taking off that hood?"

There was no hiding the way she tensed up at his words.

Wincing, he amended, "Or not."

Searching his mind for something else to distract her with, he didn't notice until the last moment that her hands had already reached up to clasp her green hood. In one deft movement she pulled it down and started to fix her hair. Under his sudden stare, she started to fidget just a little, nervously threading her fingers through the blond strands.

Several things occurred to Dick at that moment. None of them very good.

First off, she was shivering, shaking almost violently. Duty, and the threat of a particularly disdainful look from his butler, stated that he should probably be lending her his cloak about now, or casting a fire spell to warm her up.

In fact, now that she was starting to shrug herself out of her soaked hood, untying the clasps that kept it there, he could plainly see that she didn't seem to be wearing much at all. Tattered layers made up her skirt, and there was a long stretch of bare skin from her stomach to her chest, which was covered by a green wrap. Her shockingly yellow hair fell in long chunks across her shoulders, but she was already tying it up, pausing only to shoot him a dirty, slightly confused, look with her green eyes.

The next revelation came nipping on the heels of the former; or rather, chomping down on its legs and refusing to let go unless acknowledged. With a decidedly unplanned nervous gulp, Dick had to admit that the woman he'd been tracking and including in his plans was rather pretty. Scratch that—pretty didn't even begin to cover it.

There was a strength to her features that struck right at his heart, forcing him to release a shaky breath from his strained lungs lest it get trapped there as he coincidentally forget the proper procedure for aspiration. Yet, the hard, defiant tilt of her chin and barely disguised snarl came in sharp contrast to the flustered and unsure look in her eyes. This was someone who, while used to hiding themselves with bluster and threats, became nearly unwound at the idea of letting any she held so closely loose.

Added onto the bright halo of hair, which the moon seemed to take considerable pleasure in lighting, and the…distracting way the water was making her clothes stick to her skin, highlighting curves that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen while she was skimming the water; then Dick found that he was quickly falling prey to one of the ordeals that seemed to blight his friend, Wally, on a regular basis.

That's to say, he could finally understand why the auto-hasted runner would make such a complete fool of himself over certain members of the female population.

Apparently, love did that to people.

Heart racing strangely as her mouth twisted into a perplexed pout at his silence, Dick realized that this was quite possibly the worst thing that could have happened.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Second part ahoy!

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**Implications**

**Part II**

The air around them seemed to thicken, or at least, it seemed that way to him. There suddenly wasn't enough space; he couldn't breathe, nor did he want to as long as she stayed close.

Struggling for something to say, Dick picked the first thing that came to mind and hoped he wouldn't completely embarrass himself.

With only a hint of surprised tainting his coolly composed features, he said slowly, "You're Al Bhed."

There was absolutely no possible way for the strange girl to look at him with any more distain. She drawled back, "And you're obviously a yevenite. See, I can point out the obvious too." Her full lips twisted—he really needed to stop noticing this—into a snarl as she continued, "Or did you think all Al Bhed incapable of civilized speech?"

Okay, maybe he should have thought that question out a little more. He shrugged, getting the feeling that anything he said would be taken as an insult at this point. Why that thought seemed to be so depressing, he had a markedly lesser knowledge of. "I sort of figured you for some random strangler or something. We don't get much Al Bhed here in Besaid."

"So…I am not welcome here?" She tried to sound gruff and uncaring, but there was no hiding the scared hitch in her breath. At least, not from him.

Chest tightening almost painfully, Dick hurried to say, "No, no, definitely not! I mean, yes! You are welcome here, more than welcome, really. Oh, geez, this isn't going so well…"

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, flustered for the first time in the conversation. His growing embarrassment was swiftly chased away by the sound of low laughter, a series of chuckling rasps that grew into a giggle. Eyes growing wide with surprise, Dick watched her smile for the first time in the conversation, fully aware that he was gaping but quite unable to stop.

Okay, if she was that pretty when she was just glaring at him, she was downright _gorgeous_ when her face lit up with amusement, even if it was at his expense.

Once again unable to stop himself, he blurted out, "Look, I need your help."

There was some entirely uncalled for satisfaction in her tone as she drawled back, "Shouldn't we get to know each other a little better?"

Wincing, Dick admitted, "Okay, I deserved that."

Something was going desperately wrong with this conversation. He'd planned for it to go in an entirely different way; aka, him in control and ferreting out all her secrets before giving her the whole presentation, and definitely nothing like the train wreck it was now.

Sheesh, it was going to be hard enough trying to convince the rest of the team to accept her when she was just a mysterious figure in the woods, much less now that the entire village would be calling for her head because of the whole Al Bhed thing.

But now there was the whole _pretty_ situation. And the fluttering pulse deal. And the getting-very-very-hard to breath-when-she's-smiling-like-that predicament.

And the absolute worst part?

He didn't even care.

Managing to force out a laugh, Dick shot her a half-smile that suggested he was as amused about this as she was. Even though she rolled her eyes at him, which would have normally signaled that it was about time to move on and try to convince her before she just left, he couldn't help but notice something strange.

Her feet seemed to be digging in the sand unconsciously, and he looked up to stare quizzically at her, he saw that she looked a bit distant, her gaze trailing away from him and towards the open water. And with a pang of sadness, Dick realized that he knew that look.

"So, lemme guess—Sin?"

Her head snapped back as she stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. He smiled sadly. "Yea, I thought so."

Her eyes narrowed warily. There was a moment or two of pause where he was almost certain he was about to find himself face down with an arrow sticking out of his chest, but it disappeared as she said quietly, "Yea, that's about it. Bikanel was attacked. Everyone's either dead or scattered. Just my luck I ended up here, right?"

"…Right, just my luck," Dick mumbled, making sure not to let her overhear. Yevon help him, this girl was going to be the end of him if this plan didn't work out perfectly.

As he mentally prepared himself to finally explain it to her, a rather different realization sparked in his mind. "You keep swimming…"

He trailed off, not needing to say anything more. For her part, she didn't look at him, instead keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the horizon, where the beginnings of the dawn were tracing their slow decent across the sky. Dick wondered for a moment just how much strength and willpower it took to keep returning to the water, how many times she'd nearly drowned with no one to save her, if she'd ever just laid there and cursed at the seemingly endless ocean that was keeping her away from the rest of her family.

Besaid was an island, and if you wanted off, the only choice you'd have to make was which boat to take. However, he supposed it was a markedly tougher decision for someone who ran the risk of getting killed every time she stepped into the open.

His chest aching quite horribly now, Dick still managed to say, "I can offer you protection. In exchange for something else."

There was no hiding the sudden joy that lit up her hard features, and even if she quickly pushed it down seconds later, it was too late. She seemed to know it too, but her voice was still suspicious as she asked, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

He was nervous now, and he had to force himself to take a deep breath in before continuing, "Have you heard of the Crimson Blades?"

"No," she said bluntly.

Dick smiled despite himself. "Well, we're sorta heroes. We just started up." Taking in her blank stare, he rolled his eyes. "We defend people from Sin. And there's always room for more."

Realization started to dawn on her, and she interjected, "You want _me_," she pointed to her distinct Al Bhed features, "to fight alongside a bunch of yevennites?"

He hummed his agreement.

"You're crazy. Absolutely _insane_."

Arching a brow, Dick mused, "Am I now?"

Her jaw dropped at his obvious amusement. When she finally composed herself, she couldn't help but stare in blind shock at him, gaping as she tried to think of something to say. Everything ended up in a fast paced chatter in the end. "You…what… Lnywo puo! Bnaddo aoac pid lnywo csema!"

"Ready to listen yet?"

She looked baffled when she saw his growing smile. Raising her head to the sky, she groaned, "Fro ec ed dra lida sah dryd dinh uid lnywo?"

Pressing his lips together to keep from grinning too much, Dick wondered whether or not he should tell her how well versed he was in Al Bhed. It was one of the better things that came out of being the adopted son of one of the richest men in all Spira. Although the negatives were a book in themselves.

"Look, I know it sounds pretty nuts—"

Her disbelieving scoff could rattle building foundations.

Dick smiled openly, noticing with just a bit of satisfaction that she seemed to calm at the sight. "Just trust me on this. Join the Crimson Blades and I'll make sure you get off this island."

It was true; in a way, he would certainly be taking her off this island. Simply not in the manner she was expecting.

"How do I know you're lying?" she asked.

He sighed. "You don't. But if I wanted to kill you, then I would've done it a long time ago. Just like you could've."

There were a few moments of absolute silence, where the archer seemed to be having an internal crisis of sorts. Dick sent a quick prayer up to Yevon that she believed him. He needed her skills; it didn't take much time watching her to find out that what normal archers couldn't hit at fifty feet, she could hit at a hundred. She was a good fighter—one of the best he'd ever seen, really. And since she had no contacts to anyone else on the island, he didn't have to worry about someone figuring everything out until it was too late.

His every nerve humming with anticipation, Dick could barely keep himself from launching into a few handstands, if only to relieve the excess energy. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

Still, every fiber of his body seemed to still when she set her stare back on him.

"I will join."

He didn't even bother to hide his smile. In fact, the excitement was so much that without thinking he rushed forward and pulled her in for a hug. She tensed up when he wrapped his arms around her, which rather than calming him, sent a sharp shiver racing down his spine. She scowled and tried to pull away, but he only grinned wickedly and neatly picked her up, spinning as he whooped for joy.

It could have been the energy buzzing in the air around them, or simply one of his self-deluded fantasies, but for a second, he could have sworn she leaned into him, near melted, really. A soft sigh tickled the edge of his ear lobe.

Just as his eyes started to widen in astonishment, her elbow slammed into his abdomen, forcing him to drop her.

Wincing, he mumbled, "Ow." She was stronger than he'd given her credit for. But that was good, wasn't it?

His aching stomach begged to differ.

Looking up, Dick caught a brief glance of her scrambling away from him, clutching her elbow and mouthing curses that he was glad his Al Bhed instructor had thought to teach him; well, thought to let loose around him when he'd done something particularly mischievous. He smirked. "That hurt?"

"No," she snarled back, although the bright flush on her cheeks begged to differ.

Dick decided to let this one go. Shrugging, he figured there'd be plenty of times to make up for this during her Crimson Blade training. Judging by the way she was trying to indiscreetly peek at his abdomen, as if the Al Bhed had some way of seeing through cloth with those eyes of theirs, he was guessing she would be a big fan of morning exercises.

A wicked grin flashed across his face as he thought. _Might was well give a preview performance now._ He really was a showman at heart. Yawning theatrically, Dick rolled his shoulders and arched into a long stretch, giving her a quick view of his cut abs. It was with a certain satisfaction that he took in her sudden gasp.

Finishing, he flashed a smile at her, one that she couldn't look him in the face for. He fought the urge to compliment her on the, quite frankly, _inspired_ shade of red she'd managed.

Dick couldn't stop a flash of excitement from racing through his veins. _Oh, this was going to be so much fun._

Stepping forward, he called back knowingly, "So, are you coming along or what?"

Grumbling to herself, she acquiesced, although she refused his attempts to help her up the incline to the forest. Somewhere along the way it became a race, although he wasn't exactly sure on the particulars of it. _Maybe _he implied something about that bow of hers being a strain, and then _maybe _she snorted and said that she could beat him any time of the damn day if she wanted.

And then _maybe_ he'd given her a long, appraising look that managed to send her blushing and stammering that he was the craziest man she'd ever met. But, alas, before he could grin and ask if her if she liked them like that, she was already racing ahead. Must have been a coincidence.

When Dick finally managed to catch up, she was leaning against a tree and glaring quite impressively. Before he could inquire about what had gotten her so riled up this time, she turned her head away and said quietly, "You didn't tell me your name yet."

"You really want to know it?"

There was a beat of silence, which he let go on for a few seconds longer before laughing. "My name is Dick. And may I have the pleasure of knowing yours?" he purred.

She rolled her eyes at the dramatic flourish of his hand as he bowed. She thought for a while, but only answered after she quickly glanced at her Ultimus bow. "It's Artemis."

Dick scoffed. "Oh, come on! I save your tail and you still won't trust me?"

Her hard glare spoke for itself.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. _Should've expected that._

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't pay her back for it…

With a purposeful slump of his shoulders, Dick proclaimed, "I guess I'll just have to take it, so suuhmekrd ynlran." He couldn't help shooting a wink at her dumbstruck face as he started to walk ahead.

Artemis' panicky voice followed him. "I didn't mean that stuff before! You're still crazy!"

He hummed. "Oh, you made that _really_ clear. Don't worry."

Her scream of frustration sent him into a fit of snickering that echoed through the empty forest. Well, this adventure was off to a nice enough start.

Still, a hard weight settled itself onto his chest as thought of what laid ahead. He finally had one of the most crucial parts of his plan. He just hoped she'd listen to him when the time came.

After all, it wasn't every day that you asked an Al Bhed woman to be your Guardian.

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**A/N**: lol Dick thinks Artemis is trying to find her family. Seriously she's just freaked out that they'd find _her_.

For those who don't feel like googling it, the Ultimas Bow is another name for the Artemis bow. Even though there aren't technically any bows in the game, so I just used one of my favorite ones from FFXII. I had a bit of a problem with figuring some of the background of this out (because it's been ages since I played FFX) but I hope it worked?

Not sure if I'll continue it, but definitely leaving it open. If anyone wants to chat about figuring out some of the background details, I would just love you forever.

**Translations**:

**Lnywo puo! Bnaddo aoac pid lnywo csema!** -Crazy boy! Pretty eyes but crazy smile!

**Fro ec ed dra lida sah dryd dinh uid lnywo?** - Why is it the cute men that turn out crazy?

**so suuhmekrd ynlran** - my moonlight archer


End file.
